Understanding Usage Data Records

Table of contents

Usage data records

Unlike an inventory database (e.g., a CMDB), which stores data about resources, the HPE Consumption Analytics Portal is based on data about consumption. Therefore, all the fields align to the resource's usage, as opposed to simply providing a straightforward listing of all available resources.

A Usage data record represents the consumed amount of a resource at its most granular level for a given day. In the case of the public cloud, usage could be compute hours for a VM or physical resource. For HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity, usage might instead be GB of 3PAR storage, or the count of ProLiant blade servers that are in an "on" state. This usage and its contextual data is collected on a daily basis and stored in individual usage data records. By definition, if a particular resource isn't being utilized, it won't be reported in usage records.

Each record is augmented with enriching information such as unique IDs, names, categories, etc. that allow the usage to be viewed, grouped, or aggregated in analytics such as reports or charts. The usage and its corresponding attributes are represented as fields in the usage data records. Some examples are as follows:

Over time, the attributes associated with usage can change, which can affect grouping and aggregation. A public cloud example might be as simple as changing the Department Name of an Azure resource. For an HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity account, an example would be a ProLiant Blade Server moving from one enclosure to another. As adjustments are made, the usage data records collected will reflect the changes in the corresponding fields. This means there may be more than one value for a field in the usage data for a resource whose attributes have been modified. When grouping with that field's values, the resource will show up in both groups if the selected timeframe encompasses both before and after the change. Similarly, when aggregating usage data and including that field's values, there will be not one but two rows for the same resource, as they are technically different. Keep these nuances in mind when reporting on usage data.